The Perception Of Violence And Decay In The Film 'Winter's Bone'

The Perception of Violence and Decay

Debra Granik, producer of “Winter’s Bone, successfully produces the thriller of a decade with this chilling film. Ree Dolly, the protagonist, adventures out to find her useless father, who is wanted by the law for cooking meth. The film explores many interrelated themes of family, poverty, drugs, and feminism. Reviewers, like A.O. Scott, Phillip French, and David Denby, all evaluate the significance of the strong female role. For instance, French writes, “Winter’s Bone is one of the great feminist works in film.” Even though other critics focus on all the other predominant themes, I believe violence and decay strikes as the most accentuated theme. Granik repeatedly captures the lack of trust even in ones

Throughout the film there are multiple accounts of Ree asking family members for help, but she does not receive it. Families are supposed to be connected not only by blood but also commitment and confidence. Ree’s only family in the film is crime and loss. The loss of trust shows how hard Ree’s life is and how her family is useless. However, even though the lack of trust is clearly illustrated through Ree’s perception. Ree does gain the trust of select family members. Even though the disappearance of Jessup was to remain unknown, multiple family members took time to help Ree piece the puzzle together. These family members put a great amount of confidence that Ree was not to go to the law with the knowledge she amounted to receiving. Even with the support of the few family members, Ree’s trust decays over time as she begins to become frustrated in her man hunt. Another dangerous factor Ree encounters is the violence within her kinship. With the dominance of violence and secrecy in the film I believe the film is quite over looked. Denby and Scott dance around the idea but never fully address the effective morale. Both reviewers talk about theme of family. However, they both take have different perspective on the message being conveyed. Denby focuses on the women in the family, while Scott focuses on the cruelty. Denby brings to the argument

Many scenes or characters shown are through a cause and effect style, but the audience just does not know it. In the opening scene a deer carcass hangs from the tree. Deer symbolize innocence, vigilance and sensitiveness. In a biblical fashion the deer represent devotion and piety. The fact that Granik began the movie with a dead deer to foreshadow the end character of Ree, and her strenuous adventures that lie ahead. Additionally, to the carcass, the clothes of the Dolly family are grimy and rugged. The houses are run down, the landscape rotting, and as time ticks the truth decays. Teardrop, Ree’s drug addicted uncle, is one of the protruding examples the audience meets in the film. Teardrop is dirty, worn down, and covered in prison tattoos. His appearance not only shows the quality of life the Dolly’s live but also the effects of drugs in the family. One of the most white-knuckle scenes in the movie is when Ree is beat up by the Thump women. Ree’s physical appearance is dismantled and first handedly reflects her emotional state. She is worn down, exhausted, and is surrounded by the frightening figures of her family that she must surrender too. Yet, after this frightening scene the Thumps reach out to Ree to help her find her father. The Thumps reputation was at stake with the gossip about the beating going around town, and they needed to cover their tracks. This